The Moment: Any NBA fan with at least a modicum of knowledge knows this play. In game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan collected a pass from Cliff Levingston, went up as if he was going to dunk, then switched hands mid-air to finish with his left hand. Look, others have made similar plays but what makes this "a moment" was the combination of who it was, the GOAT, plus Marv Albert's iconic call, "Oh, a spectacular move by Michael Jordan"! This game would prove to be Jordan's first ever Finals game win and he was dominant, going 15-18 from the field, netting 33 points in 36 minutes. The Bulls ended up winning the series in five games, collecting their first title in franchise history.

The Moment: As mentioned previously on this list, the 1969 NBA Finals is one of the best championship series ever, as Bill Russell's Celtics outlasted the favored Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Before game 7, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke's plans for the title celebration were found by the Celtics. In what had to be one of the first cases of bulletin board material, Boston used those plans as fuel. Late in the game the Celtics were clinging to a one point lead before a scrambled possession led to a Don Nelson jumper that hit the back of the rim then improbably dropped through. Boston had a 105-102 advantage at that point and they would hold on for a 108-106 win, earning Russell and the franchise their 11th title in 13 years. After the game Jack Twyman was interviewing player/coach Russell and the big man couldn't even talk he was so emotional. It was a fitting end to a truly legendary career.

The Moment: The 1976 NBA Finals were tied at 2-2 as the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics traveled back to Beantown for game 5. What followed was perhaps the greatest playoff game in NBA history. The Celtics jumped out to a huge lead after the first quarter but Phoenix chipped away and eventually forced overtime. And then they forced another overtime, and then another. The final minutes had so many twists and turns that it would be impossible to chronicle here, but, the second overtime was absolute bananas. In less than half a minute of game time there was a steal and jumper to give Phoenix the lead, a John Havlicek jumper to give Boston the lead, fans storming the court and a technical free throw before Gar Heard's famous shot. The Celtics ended up outlasting the Suns in triple overtime to take a 3-2 series lead and eventually captured the title in the next game, but the finish to this game absolutely deserved it's own spot on this list.

The Moment: Game 6 of the 1974 NBA Finals was one of the best Finals games of all-time. It was a double overtime classic which saw Boston have multiple opportunities to clinch the title. However, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the game's greatest ever players, who would have the final say. Both teams traded tough shots in the second overtime as the lead changed hands multiple times. John Havlicek had been brilliant all night and his shot with seven seconds left gave Boston a 101-100 lead. On the other end it was Kareem with a skyhook that dropped through the net with three seconds to go, giving Milwaukee a one-point lead. Boston's attempt at the other end went begging and the Bucks had improbably forced a game 7 back in Milwaukee. However, Boston went on to win that game 7, 102-87, capturing another championship and their first without Bill Russell.

The Moment: In game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant hit a clutch three to give the Warriors a lead that they would hold on to, giving them a 3-0 series lead in the process. Well, just a year later a moment like that happened again. Durant had been masterful all night, and had the ball on the left wing with Golden State nursing a three point lead with less than a minute to play. KD pulled from way outside and drilled a three that took the life of the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans. The Warriors held on for the win then dominated game 4 to complete the sweep and seal back-to-back NBA titles. Game 3 was perhaps Durant's best game of his career, and his performance in that game earned him his second consecutive Finals MVP, despite some strong consideration for his teammate, Steph Curry.

The Moment: It was the first year of Miami's new "Big 3" and after a slow start, the Heat had become dominant. They advanced to the Finals after a five-game series win over the Chicago Bulls, while the Dallas Mavericks had knocked off the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder on their way to the championship series. Miami took game 1 with a solid all around performance and looked to be in control in game 2. Dwyane Wade hit a three in front of Dallas' bench to give Miami a 15-point lead with less than seven minutes to play. It looked like Dallas was done but they went on an incredible 17-2 run to tie the game with less than a minute to play. After getting another stop, Dirk Nowitzki knocked down a three to give Dallas a 93-90 lead with 26.7 to go. Miami then took their final timeout, Dallas got confused before the inbound pass and LeBron James found a wide open Mario Chalmers in the right corner and his three tied the game again with 24.5 to go. On the next play Dirk got the ball on the left wing and ended up getting a layup to drop through with 3.6 left. Miami had no timeouts and Wade's long three point attempt bounced off as the buzzer sounded. Dallas had a famous win in one of the most remarkable fourth quarter comebacks in recent league history. Just days later Dallas captured their first and only title in franchise history.

The Moment: To be perfectly honest, this one is a hard one to rank. You could make the case that it should be #1 and you could also make the case that it doesn't quite belong on a list like, but rather a separate piece honoring the moment. However, we felt like it should be recognized. The NBA's color barrier was essentially broken by three men. Chuck Cooper was the first black man drafted, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was the first to sign a contract and Earl Lloyd was the first to play a game when he suited up for the Washington Capitols on Halloween night, 1950. It was a momentous occasion, to be sure, but one that doesn't have the same cultural impact as Jackie Robinson in baseball due to Robinson breaking his color barrier first and the relative youth of pro basketball.

The Moment: The Chicago Bulls headed into game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals needing a win in Phoenix to seal the first three peat in the NBA since Russell's Celtics won eight titles in a row from '59-'66. The series had been an epic one, with overtime periods, massive performances from Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley and each team winning on the other's home floor. Game 6 was again a classic, and one that saw a 19-9 run in the fourth quarter give the Suns a two-point lead, 98-96, with 14.1 seconds to play. It was Chicago's ball in their backcourt and they inbounded the ball to Scottie Pippen. Pippen then got the ball back to Jordan who attacked with a full head of steam. Jordan gave the ball back to Pippen who attacked the lane and drew multiple defenders. Pippen then dumped it down to Horace Grant who immediately spotted John Paxson all alone on the left wing. Paxson caught and fired the open three and buried it with 3.9 to go. Paxson's three were the only Bulls points not scored by Jordan in the fourth quarter. On the other end Phoenix got the ball to Kevin Johnson who saw his runner in the lane blocked by Grant as time expired and the Bulls had their three peat. It is every kid's dream to hit a championship winning shot and John Paxson was able to achieve that dream in '93.

The Moment: It was the second round of the 1988 eastern conference semi's and the Celtics and Hawks had battled through six great games to force a game 7 in Boston. Atlanta had lost their chance to close out the series at home in game 6, losing 102-100. The task had become harder, but Atlanta was up for it, particularly Dominique Wilkins. Boston led by two heading into the fourth quarter of game 7 when a duel between Wilkins and Larry Bird broke out. The two superstars traded buckets as the moments became more and more tense. In the end it was Bird's team who took the game and the series even though Wilkins finished with a ridiculous 47 points on 19-33 shooting, tied for the most points ever scored by a player in a game 7. Bird finished with 34 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter. The showdown is etched into NBA history as one of the best player battles ever, and for it to occur between two very good teams in a game 7, even better.

The Moment: After five games of the 1997 NBA Finals the Chicago Bulls led the Utah Jazz 3-2, with a chance to win a title at home in game 6. We will talk about game 5 later on this list, but the ending to game 6 deserves it's own moment. The Jazz started the game really well and actually held a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but everyone knew a Chicago run was coming. Neither team shot well in the contest but Chicago had done just enough to have a possession with the score tied and less than 30 seconds to play. In the huddle Michael Jordan told Steve Kerr to be ready in case the Jazz doubled him. The Jazz did double and Kerr was ready, as he received a pass from Jordan and buried a free throw line jumper with just five seconds to go. Utah advanced the ball to midcourt but their inbound pass was stolen by Scottie Pippen who tipped the ball ahead to Toni Kukoc who dunked the ball home to seal a 90-86 win and yet another title for the Bulls. It is a classic ending and Steve Kerr's story about it at the victory parade made it even better.